Crocodiles and dolphins habitat

Kuching, Sarawak on Borneo

The coastal area off Kuching, Sarawak, is known for its beach resorts in Damai, Bako National Park, Cultural Village, the fishing village of Santubong and the mountain of the same name. However, there is more to explore in the area. Even among locals, it is barely known that dolphins frolic in the estuary of the Sarawak River. Several species have been spotted, with Irawaddelfines being the most prevalent.

Local tour operators already have sightseeing tours on offer. Tourists are picked up by a local boatman, mostly a fisherman from the nearby villages, at a pier, which is about 30 minutes by car from Kuching.

Down the river, head towards the South China Sea. In the area near Mount Santubong there is already a high probability to sight dolphins. Irawadidelfine do not jump out of the water like their conspecifics who are known from movies. The dolphin sightings are therefore limited to the humps that protrude from the water at short notice.

However, the boat trip also has other attractions to offer. For example, young crocodiles also live in this area. With a length of up to four meters they already reach a considerable size here. They usually rest on sandbanks where they can be spotted from the river. In the Sarawak River itself they are disturbed by the shipping traffic and are therefore hardly to be found.

The crocodiles are attracted by the catch of the fishermen. Injured marine animals are easy prey and often there are also attacks on fishermen. The crocodiles are not interested in human flesh but in the catch. As they are all young animals, they are not such a big danger.

As soon as the crocodiles get bigger they leave this place. In search of new habitat, some migrate upstream in the rivers, reaching as far as the interior of Borneo. There they mark a territory in which they do not even accept their conspecifics. Attacks on humans by giant crocodiles in the rivers of Borneo are feared in the local community. When people do not return from fishing or swimming, it is usually believed that crocodiles are responsible.

Further out to sea, there is an island where tourists can spend the night and participate in a turtle rescue program. In the mangrove forests near the mouth of the Sarawak River, other special animals can be spotted. Proboscis monkey (Proboscis monkey), long-tailed macaque, rarely but eagles or hornbills. If you get close enough to the sandbank, you can watch the hustle and bustle of the small animals. There are also a lot of crabs and crabs in the sand. With up to 20 centimeters in length, mud skippers are the biggest animals on the sandbanks.